This archive report was first published on 4 November 2019.
Kenyatta Regime Covered Up Kisumu Massacre ¶
October 25, 1969, was a pivotal day in Kenya's postcolonial history, marked by a tragic event in Kisumu that would have far-reaching consequences.
The official account of the incident, which has been reproduced over the years, describes it as a 'Kisumu riot' or 'Kisumu incident,' downplaying its significance. However, eyewitness accounts and contradicting testimonies at the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission's hearings in Kisumu paint a different picture.
On that day, President Jomo Kenyatta, accompanied by armed guards, pointed guns at a crowd of fleeing schoolchildren and civilians in Kisumu, amidst a chaotic scene with upturned chairs. This stark image contradicts the official narrative of a peaceful event.
Despite the contradicting accounts, the official account remains unchanged, attributing the extrajudicial killings to an 'overreaction' by Kenyatta's security team. However, questions remain unanswered, including who gave the shoot-to-kill order, why the presidential security guards shot people in Awasi, and what was the actual body count.
The event was not just a local incident but also had broader geopolitical implications, representing a struggle for the soul of post-independence Kenya in the context of the Cold War. The tragic official opening of the USSR-funded hospital and medical school complex, which was stopped after the incident, marked the triumph of Mzee Kenyatta's ethnonationalism and infant crony capitalism over Pan-Africanism and various shades of socialism.
